Monday, May 03, 2010

Coping with rejection: Editors are people too

Does the thought of picking up a phone to suggest an idea for a magazine feature fill you with dread? Do you break out in a cold sweat as you open an email with the all-important “yes” or “no” to your pitch?

If you're are nodding in agreement to either of these questions, then to put it unkindly, you need to get a grip! Or, to put it much less bluntly – don’t worry, editors are human too.

But to see the correspondence I receive seeking advice from aspiring or in some cases established freelance writers, you’d think these more senior journalists were ogres – who’d chew up and spit out humble wannabe hacks without a moment’s thought.

I find this frustrating.

So long as you are professional in your dealings with your chosen editors you have nothing to worry about. Sure, they may say ‘no’ to more of your ideas than ‘yes’ – but that’s nothing to lose sleep over is it? Don’t take rejection personally.

There are lots of reasons why an editor may not have the time to get back to you – and none of them is a comment on the quality of your work.

And always remember that like all of us, editors can make mistakes too – they may even do that in connection with stuff you are working on for them.

One writer got in touch with me about this piece to say she’d always considered editors to be “God like and infallible” – but then one made some mistakes with her piece which absolutely convinced her that wasn’t the case!

Journalism lecturer and feature writer Carrie Dunn says that being scared of editors can be a “fundamental” part of being a writer.

She says: “It's the power thing. Editors hold the power of yes and no over us, so fundamentally it's down to them whether we get paid or not. “Some editors cultivate distance and revel in seeming a bit scary! There are one or two I'm slightly intimidated by, but I like all my regular editors.

“It took me a while to get round the fact that editors are nice people too.

The best way to build respect from an editor is to give them the material they want in a professional, clean and precise fashion.

“They're not always going to like you as a person and you're not always going to be friends with them, but that doesn't stop them from thinking you're a good journalist!”

Also, don’t forget that some editors are in the same boat as you. They may also work as freelance writers.

And there’s a strong possibility that even if they are no longer in a position to be trying to convince a different editor their ideas are worth reporting on, they may well have previously been there. Carrie adds: “I'd say a good proportion of editors are also freelancers - people just like you are the ones commissioning. Think of it like that and they'll soon seem less intimidating.”

Rachel Newcombe is a respected journalist and editor with a pragmatic view. She says: “I don’t think it’s much help to a writer to be scared of editors, since the large majority of their work will involve pitching to and working with them.

“Admittedly, it can be a bit scary to approach and unknown editor for the first time, but if you want to pitch for work or have a chance of writing for their magazine or newspaper, then you have to get over your nerves and get stuck into it.”

And Rachel says that in order to banish that somewhat irrational fear, writers should “remember that editors are only human too.” She agrees with Carrie: “Plus, although they’re in a position of authority now, the chances are they started out on the same rung of the ladder as a writer, so they do have some knowledge of what it’s like to be pitching people.”

Rachel, who previously edited Health Today magazine and currently edits Buying Abroad, a property magazine distributed with the Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, also underlines that there is no sense in taking rejection personally.

“Pitches are rejected for a whole host of reasons, such as it not being quite right for the slot, a similar topic is already being covered or that something similar has been featured recently.

“Sometimes it is the case that the writer hasn’t quite grasped the essence of the publication, that they’re pitching the wrong type of idea to the magazine or don’t have quite the right experience (yet), but getting rejections is all part of the learning curve,” she says. “Rather than taking it personally, the best thing a writer can do is learn from their rejections.

There will probably be many times when pitches come back with a short and sharp ‘no’ and no other further explanation, but on other occasions some editors take the time to explain why it’s not right. “You can learn lots from reading through the more detailed responses and taking the details in. If all you get back is a ‘no’ though, you can still learn by reading the publication thoroughly and studying the type of articles that they tend to use.

It’s also good to talk to other writers and see if those currently writing for the publications can offer any extra insight into the type of pitches typically accepted.

It’s good to work at crafting better pitches to editors.”

Sarah Drew-Jones has been a journalist and editor for 18 years, and her credits include The Guardian, the BBC and the Sunday Mirror.

As a former head of magazines at Trinity Mirror, she has had plenty of experience of being pitched – well and not so well – by aspiring freelance writers. She says that it’s obvious that in these days of growing pressure on editors, they simply may not have the time to build a relationship with you.

“No, writers shouldn't be scared of editors, but they should try to be respectful in their dealings with them, as well as, of course, friendly, professional and efficient,” advises Sarah.

“The best editors will understand (and remember) what it's like to be a young writer, but these days they are so busy and under so much pressure that their ability to advise, chat, give feedback or even build any kind of relationship with you is severely limited.”

So how do you keep on the right side of an editor? Sarah has some straight-talking advice. “The best thing any new or young writer can do is to be ruthlessly efficient. Pitch short, succinct, well-explained ideas, meet (or try to beat) any deadline given, go the extra mile when possible (for example, supply pictures or sidebars) and ensure your copy is immaculate.

This is the best way to get editors to not only like you, but rate you and remember you, too.”

She also has some excellent pointers on learning how not to take rejection personally.

“A mentor once advised me to think of myself in the same way that an actor does. A pitch is like an audition - sometimes you're not 'wrong' you're just not right for that part. “Journalists need thick skins, and taking rejection personally is a motivation killer.

Dust yourself down, take your idea somewhere else and keep new ones flowing: some of them will work! “The only thing you should take personally is constructive criticism.

If an editor gets back to you to say they loved your original idea but you didn't execute it well when you filed your copy, that’s when you know you've got a problem.

Ask for feedback and work on it, whether it's grammatical sloppiness or a lack of research. Everyone can improve and the sense of achievement it'll give you when your next piece is accepted will be immense.”

* This piece was previously published in Writing Magazine

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